Gun Digest's Concealed Carry Methods eShort Collection by Massad Ayoob

Author:Massad Ayoob [Massad Ayoob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4402-3414-9
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2012-07-24T21:00:00+00:00

Glock 39 subcompact 45 GAP in Gould & Goodrich ankle holster is daily backup for this southern state trooper.

Comfort Factors

If you’ve ever worn a pistol at the 3 o’clock position on the belt, right on the hip-bone, you’ve probably noticed some chafing. The stiff leather, weighted with a steel gun full of lead bullets, is pressing against a bone that has little but skin to shield it. Well, that’s going on big time down at the old ankle bone when wearing a leg holster.

Most who’ve carried them for some time concur that the holster and the leg strap should be soft and wide, and that there should be some sort of cushion between the holster and the skin. Unless you have legs like the Incredible Hulk or are carrying a tiny mouse gun, you also probably want a carry that puts the muzzle angled back and the grip angled forward, to minimize bulge.

That Bianchi ankle holster the New York security pro and the California Highway Patrol officer found perfectly comfortable for all-day wear just didn’t work for me. John Bianchi and his design team were famous for their good quality “hard” holster leather, and they brought the concept to this ankle rig. The holster was closed at the bottom, which extended its length slightly and created a blunt edge on the bottom where the relatively heavy leather was stitched together. (The closed bottom kept snow or mud from plugging the gun barrel if the wearer stepped into same.) The back of the rig was amply lined with soft, friendly sheepskin, the purpose being comfort. For the guard and the state policeman, and for a great many other people, it worked. It was comfortable. For them.

Not for me. I loved that finely-made holster, but I just couldn’t bond with it. A calf-strap might have pulled it up high enough to make it work for me, but calf straps don’t work for me either, as noted earlier. This left the hard bottom edge by the gun’s muzzle digging mercilessly into my ankle bone with every step. I finally had to retire the holster, and go with something else.

Another couple of makers did open bottom ankle rigs, superbly crafted of the finest leather, and backed with so much sheepskin that it felt as if I had strapped a pillow to my ankle. Comfort factor was great. Unfortunately, the cushioning was so heavy that it also looked as if I had strapped a pillow to my ankle. The darn things bulged too much for my legs. They didn’t conceal well, and I finally had to give up on them, too.

What worked best for me personally was the type of ankle rig that was backed with all-wool felt. The felt lining just seems to soak up sweat without leaving the ankle damp, clammy, and chafed. My first such holster was made of synthetic leather by a nameless manufacturer in the early 1970s. It was a prototype that went out to several police equipment dealers. One

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